Basement Reunion
by Serenitey
Summary: After Lies My Parents Told Me, Dawn sneaks down to the basement for a little chat with Spike. Spike/Dawn friendship.


I always found the way they left the relationship between Spike and Dawn lacking. The built a nice friendship in season 5 and the beginning of 6 and then just left it. From the audio commentary it seems they thought it was getting a little too sexy with Dawn getting older but I never saw anything more than a platonic friendship. I really wished it had been explored more. So here is my take on a make-up scene after Lies My Parents Told Me.

Some dialogue from Lies My Parents Told Me.

 **Basement Reunion**

Dawn shifted, barely awake, as she felt her sister running her fingers along the bandage on her forehead. It didn't really hurt anymore but she could feel a decent bruise developing under the gauze. She had made a salve like Tara taught her but it smelt really bad and had made Willow frown.

Dawn opened her eyes as she heard Buffy close the bedroom door. She pulled back the covers to get up but paused when she heard Giles' voice from the corridor.

"Buffy I – um – I understand your anger. Please believe me, we did what we thought-"

"He's alive. Spike's alive. Wood failed." Her voice was cold. Not angry or heated like Giles seemed to expect, just cold and emotionless.

"Well that doesn't change anything. What I told you is still true. You need to learn-"

She didn't let him finish. "No," she bit out. "I think you've taught me everything that I need to know."

Dawn heard the bedroom door close and Giles shocked exhalation of breath. She listened as he walked away. Dawn lay there dazed, her breathing harsh. She pulled the covers up around her neck, seeking comfort. Giles had tried to kill Spike? Principal Wood had helped? Or was it the other way around? Maybe she should ask Buffy? But knowing her, Buffy would just tell her they would talk about it later which meant they never would.

Dawn heard the back door close and the basement door open. She could only just hear his boots as he descended the stairs. She waited a few minutes, unsure of what her next move should be. Making up her mind, she flung back the covers and slipped from the bedroom.

She crept down the stairs and made her way to the basement door. She stood there with her hand on the handle. Steeling herself, she forced the door open and hurried down the stairs. The door swung closed behind her. She was barely off the bottom step when she stopped and saw him.

He was sitting on his cot with an unlit cigarette between his lips. His coat was draped around him and his arm was propped up on his bent knee. There was blood on his forehead and around his nose. An angry black burn covered most of his cheek. It was healing already though. A pink line of fresh, unmarred flesh outlined the blackened mess. He looked like Spike again.

He looked up at her but didn't speak. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Buffy said you weren't allowed to smoke in the house."

Spike raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "It's not lit, Niblet."

"Yeah, well," Dawn stammered. This was not going according to plan. "No one wants you stinking up the house."

"I remember."

"Good."

Dawn stood there awkwardly, arms crossed and a half-hearted glare directed toward him. He cocked his head to the side, his eyes fixating on her bandaged brow.

He gestured towards her, his voice soft. "How's the noggin'?"

Dawn tucked her hair behind her ear self-coconsciously, her fingertips brushing against the self-adhesive fabric Willow had carefully pressed onto her skin.

"It's fine. Doesn't even hurt."

"Good."

Dawn sighed, her eyes rolling up at the ceiling briefly. "Did," she started, she took a deep breath. "Did Principal Wood really try to kill you?"

Spike didn't blink. He pushed himself back against the wall, his head lolling against the concrete.

"He did."

"Why?"

"Killed his mum."

"Oh," Dawn replied, her eyes downcast. "Oh," she suddenly said, eyes flicking to meet his. "The New York Slayer?"

Spike smiled softly. "That's the one."

"Is he alive?"

"Took a nibble but nothing fatal."

Dawn walked forward slowly. She stopped at the wooden supporting column and leaned against it. She fiddled with her fingers, twisting them together.

"What, Niblet?"

She took a deep breath. "Did Giles really help?" She hated how small her voice sounded.

"Maybe that's a conversation you should have with Big Sis," Spike said.

Dawn huffed. "So that's a yes."

"Not as simple as that, Bit. Watcher had his reasons."

"Buffy's mad," Dawn told him.

"Expect she is."

Dawn moved from the post and sat on the cot beside him. She shifted so her back was against the wall and her legs hung off the edge of the cold metal frame. He turned his head to face her and lowered his leg. He lifted his arm to trace his fingers along her bandage like Buffy had earlier. She let him. His hand dropped as if he was scared she would break or lash out at him.

"Like I said, Watcher had his reasons."

"Yeah," Dawn said, smiling awkwardly. "This cot is way softer when you're on it than when a crazy triggered vamp is throwing it at your head."

Spike looked at her seriously. He pulled her chin up to face him. "Won't happen again," he promised. "Trigger is gone. Stone did its work. Got all my faculties in check."

"I thought Giles said you were being uncooperative and it wasn't gone because you were blocking your memory…like a pillock."

Spike shrugged. "Spot of violence can open a man up."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You never give me a straight answer anymore. Ever since Buffy came back."

He looked at her and squinted slightly in confusion before coming to a decision. "What do you want to know, Niblet?"

"What happened?"

Spike looked at the ceiling and growled slightly, shaking his head and pursing his lips. "Slayer is going to kill me." He moved to face Dawn. She shifted slightly in anticipation.

"Old Rupert and the good principal decided that I was too dangerous to have around but knew that The Slayer wasn't about to just let them off me so they came up with a little plan."

Dawn smiled. He always told the best stories. "I should have made popcorn."

Spike glared at her. "Do you want to know or what?"

"Sorry." She raised her hands in acquiescence. "I'll be quiet."

"Right, so Giles took Buffy out on a hunt and I went with Wood to his place. Well, his garage anyway, that just happened to be nicely decorated with all manner of crosses."

"So that explain the cheek," Dawn interrupted to Spike's impotent glare. "Gross by the way." 

"Thanks ever so, anyway, Principal introduced himself as The Slayer's sprog and said he wanted to kill the monster that killed his mother. He had the song all cued up ready to go. Not really sure what happened in the room after that, guess the stone's mojo kicked in because I was back there with her, reliving it all."

"With who?"

"Me mum." Spike looked at her and smiled wistfully. "You'd have liked her. She was a good lady. But," he was fiddling with his cigarette and absently searching for his lighter. Dawn didn't say anything as he patted down his coat and finally brought the lighter to his face. "She was sick, consumption," he said taking a deep drag of his cigarette and blowing it over his shoulder, away from her. "Tuberculosis."

"See when I became a vampire, I felt stronger and I didn't care what any of those ponces thought of me anymore. I felt more like myself and more alive than I ever had before."

"You turned her," Dawn guessed.

"So we could be together forever," he replied, scornfully. "Only what woke up wasn't my mother." His jaw was set and she could see his bottom lip tremble slightly. Dawn looked down at her hands again.

"I wanted her to be better like me but she was cruel and cold. Told me I was a parasite. Said she couldn't bear to be around me for another day, let alone an eternity." He took another drag and faced her with a shrug. "Said a few other nasty pieces and came at me with her cane. Told her I was sorry and I staked her. Been weighing on me for quite some time," he repeated.

"So that's how The First could control you? That's what you felt most guilty about? Your most painful memory."

"But with Giles' little stone," he said happily, "I know it wasn't her. It was the demon talking and not me mum. That it was all lies. She didn't mean any of it. Then it was gone. No more trigger. No more First. Just me. So I threw him around a bit, just to show him."

"Then you bit him?"

"Then I bit him," Spike confirmed.

"That's not really in keeping with your new ensouled, solider of the light image," Dawn pointed out.

Spike laughed. "Guess not but I've never been one for following rules."

They sat there in silence for a moment. Spike smoking and Dawn watching him. She had so many questions but now didn't seem like the time to ask them.

"What was her name?" Dawn asked softly.

Spike smiled sadly. "Anne."

"That's a nice name."

Spike nodded.

"Is that why you helped me with the spell after mum…?" she trailed off.

Spike shrugged and butted his cigarette out on the cot's frame. He flicked the butt onto the floor. "Never really thought about it. Maybe. I liked Joyce."

"She liked you too."

Dawn smiled at him and Spike couldn't help but return it. It was a bit like smile he had given Buffy when she first came back, she decided; happiness with a hint of awe. She'd missed him.

"Wanna play cards?" Dawn asked abruptly. Spike shrugged and reached for the pack on the shelf beside him. He shuffled and dealt the cards out between them. Dawn picked them up and ordered her hand with practiced ease. It felt like old times, when they would sit and watch movies and he'd taught her to cheat at cards.

"You know this doesn't change anything, right?" Dawn stated, suddenly icy. Her face was set and her chin jutted out defiantly.

Spike looked up at her, a tilt to his head. He knew what she was referring to. "Wouldn't presume it would."

"You do anything, I'll set you on fire."

"Got it."

"It's just," Dawn shrugged, her mask of indifference fell and she peered over her cards, trying hard not to make eye contact. "You kind of live in our basement now so I'd set fire to the house."

"Wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"Buffy would get mad, there'd be lectures."

"Hardly worth the bother," Spike agreed.

"But after the whole apocalypse thing is over..."

"I'll sleep with one eye open," Spike assured her.

Dawn smiled brightly at him. "Got any twos?"

He smirked. "Go fish."

Please review!


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